Hunan official's 'meteoric rise' to the top cut short as he's forced to resign

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Xiangtan in Hunan is known as the place where Mao Zedong spent his childhood. It also happens to be Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's ancestral home.

But when Chinese newspapers mentioned the famous Hunan tourist destination over the last two months, their reports focused on the county's 27-year-old deputy head Xu Tao.

On Wednesday, paunchy Xu was dismissed from his job over allegations of nepotism. His sacking comes less than 50 days after a Hunan provincial government website questioned his credentials in an article that turned him into a national media sensation.

It followed up rumours first spread on microblogs. Netizens has speculated how Xu could, at his age, already be second in charge of a county with a million inhabitants and also be pursuing a full-time master's programme.

Communist Party regulations on the promotion of officials require at least five years work experience and two years grassroots experience for the job.

In later reports, it emerged that his father and mother had both been local officials.

By March 24, the country's most eminent newspaper, People's Daily, reported that a committee has been set up to investigate the circumstances of Xu's promotion.

In April, Xu was expelled from Xiangtan University and local party officials were "scolded" for their involvement in his promotion.